The Story of Casper’s First Murder & Jail

Casper has a very rich history, but just like any other city in the country, we've had our fair share of criminal activities, including murder. This is is a little piece of our darker history.

The Casper Police Department posted the following story:

Casper’s first murder occurred on September 20th, 1890, when John Conway shot and killed A.J. “Red Jack” Tidwell in Lou Polk’s Dance Hall. This picture shows Conway standing in the doorway of Casper’s first jail. Charles W. “Dad” Eads, founder of Eadsville, stands guard. One year later the jail burned down when Dr. Jospeh Benson tried to burn a hole in the wall to escape.